From Surgery to the Slopes: A Golfer’s Recovery from a Torn ACL
Eleven Months Ago, I Learned the Hard Way What Recovery Really Requires
On a sunny Sunday morning in February, I was finishing the last day of a family ski trip.
Everyone else was packing up, but I wanted my five-year-old to get a few more learning runs before we headed home. With him between my legs, I eased onto the bunny slope, unhurried and unaware of how the next few seconds would change my entire year.
A few turns in, he went limp in that way only a five-year-old can. I tried to turn and slow us down, but a patch of ice had other plans.
Moments later, I was on the snow in serious pain, and he had learned a few new words I never planned on teaching him.
A month later, I was in surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL.
My doctor was direct. Full recovery could take a year or more. The surgery mattered, but the biggest variable wasn’t the procedure. It was my commitment to rehabilitation.
Progress Is Easy Until It Isn’t
The early weeks of rehab went well. Progress comes quickly when you’re laid up for two weeks. Motivation was high and my adrenaline was flowing.
That’s when the work got harder.
Physical therapy sessions ramped up. Exercises became more demanding. Soreness became constant. Mentally, it was easy to justify skipping a session. My muscles weren’t ready for the workload, and my energy didn’t always match my intentions.
This is the part of recovery most people don’t talk about. Not the injury or the surgery. The long middle stretch where consistency matters more than effort, and showing up matters more than motivation.
Why This Changed How I Think About Supplements
A few months earlier, I had launched Swing Stacks to help golfers simplify health and wellness. At the time, it was something I was studying to ensure I was getting the right nutrients and minerals as I approached my mid-40s.
I never expected to rely on it so acutely.
To be clear, supplements didn’t heal my knee. That credit belongs to a skilled surgeon, a gracious tissue donor, and an excellent physical therapist. Supplements don’t replace real medical care or hard work.
What they did do was help support the part of recovery that most people struggle with: staying consistent.
Creatine helped reduce muscle soreness so I could keep up with at-home exercises between PT sessions. Electrolytes supported hydration during longer, more demanding workouts. Omega-3s supported joint health and Magnesium Glycinate helped reduce anxiety and support overnight recovery. Vitamin D3 helped with bone health and mood during a long, sun-starved Western Pennsylvania winter.
None of these were shortcuts. They were tools. Tools that made it easier to keep showing up.
The Moment That Made It Real
Last week, 10 months after knee surgery, I clipped back into my skis.
Standing in the lift line, there was plenty of nervous energy. But there was also confidence. My knee was fully healed. My legs were stronger than they had been in years. I knew I had done the work.
Would I have recovered without supplements? Probably.
Would it have taken longer? Almost certainly.
But I’m confident I wouldn’t be carving turns and enjoying winter days with my kids the way I did today.
Only this time without a five-year-old between my legs.
Why This Matters (Even If You’ve Never Been Injured)
Most golfers aren’t rehabbing torn ligaments. But almost all of us are managing something: soreness, fatigue, nagging injuries, long workdays, or the slow grind of staying healthy as the years stack up.
The lesson I learned isn’t about skiing or surgery. It’s about support. When your body is under stress, whether from injury, training, or just life, the right inputs make consistency easier.
That’s what Swing Stacks is built around. Not hype. Not miracle claims. Just smarter support for people who want to keep moving, playing, and showing up.
If you’re curious about what that might look like for you, there’s a simple place to start. Take a 2-minute quiz and get matched with a personalized supplement stack.
